In the News

S&P Global • 8th July 2022

Saudi oil whisperer Muhanna warns against doubting kingdom's production capacity

In mid-2008, with oil prices on their way to setting a record high of $147/b, OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia faced a chorus of doubts about how much crude it was capable of producing. Some analysts even said the kingdom was pumping near its maximum volumes.

To hear Ibrahim al-Muhanna tell it, those analysts were wrong, and the market is risking making the same mistake in 2022, as fears over shrinking Saudi spare capacity are dominating oil headlines.

"The market should not worry" about Saudi Arabia

Saudigazette • 28th August 2018

Iran can’t close Strait of Hormuz

Saudi Energy Ministry adviser Ibrahim Al-Muhanna said on Tuesday that Iran is unable to completely or partially close the Strait of Hormuz or Bab Al-Mandeb.

He said if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, the UN Security Council is likely to authorize military action, according to statements reported by Reuters news agency.

Speaking at an oil conference in the Norwegian city of Stavanger, Al-Muhanna said Iran would be the first to lose out on a move

Reuters • 26th September 2017

Oil prices to rise to $60 as OPEC likely to extend cuts -former Saudi adviser

Oil prices may rise to $60 a barrel by the end of this year or by early 2018 as OPEC and non-OPEC producers are expected to extend supply cuts beyond March, while oil inventories continue to decline, a former Saudi energy ministry official said in a speech Washington on Monday.

“With the current arrangement and commitment of major producers, and their willingness to adjust and extend the agreement, I believe as commercial oil stocks continue to contract, oil...

Arab News • 21st April 2017

Saudi Arabia’s famous ‘Gulf Source’ Ibrahim Al-Muhanna honored

Ibrahim Al-Muhanna, an adviser to three Saudi oil ministers, has been selected as the recipient of the Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award for the Advancement of International Petroleum Media after being the voice of the world’s largest oil exporter for over a quarter century.

The honor was presented at the 3rd GCC Petroleum Media Forum Gala Dinner Awards in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

Al-Muhanna received his doctorate in 1987 from the American University in Washington D.C. in international relat

Reuters • 9th October 2015

Oil market needs an anchor, Saudi adviser says

The lack of a clear leader or “anchor” in the global oil market is fueling uncertainty and leading to sharp swings in crude prices, but this uncertainty is unlikely to continue for long, a senior Saudi oil adviser said.

The comments by Ibrahim al-Muhanna suggest that Saudi Arabia and the rest of OPEC understand that they are unable to manage the oil market alone for the time being, and would like to see some kind of collective mechanism to reduce the current instability in...

Business Insider • 13th April 2015

SAUDI OIL ADVISOR: What we're witnessing in oil right now is a 'temporary, unnatural situation'

Saudi Arabia’s oil production was up to 10.3 million barrels in March, and an senior Saudi energy official says that will meet an annual global rise in demand of as much as 1 million barrels a day.

In fact, total yearly demand around the world is expected to reach 105 million barrels a day by 2025, Ibrahim al-Muhanna told an energy conference in Riyadh on April 10.

Al-Muhanna, an adviser to Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, said the current depression in both oil prices and demand is a ...

WSJ • 16th March 2015

OPEC Warns U.S. Oil Boom Could Be Over by Year-End

Fox News • 14th June 2008

Saudis to Ramp Up Oil Production, Reports Say

Saudi Arabia's oil minister on Sunday will address reports that the world's largest oil-producing country is set to raise production by about 500,000 barrels per day, his adviser said.

The increase would bring Saudi Arabia's oil production to 10 million barrels a day, the country's highest ever, according to reports by The New York Times and the Middle East Economic Survey, an industry publication.

Adviser Ibrahim al-Muhanna told The Associated Press on Saturday that he could not confirm the r

WSJ • 14th June 2008

Crude Falls to $134.86 As Supply Hopes Rise

New York Times • 25th June 2002

Saudi Effort To Revive Gas Deal Is Reported (Published 2002)

Saudi Arabia is showing renewed interest in breaking the logjam holding up a landmark deal with eight major oil companies that would reopen the kingdom to foreign investment. Crown Prince Abdullah, the country's effective ruler and the plan's champion, told Philip B. Watts, the chairman of Royal Dutch/Shell, and Lee R. Raymond of Exxon Mobil, in separate meetings over the weekend, that the team of...